Crabtree on the playoffs, his production and the 49ers’ pass attack: “I feel like I’ve got a little chip on my shoulder right now”

Writing a column on Michael Crabtree and his playoff hopes/responsibilities, so I’ll just get right to the conversation here and now…

—-MICHAEL CRABTREE interview transcript/

* The first part is very briefly just with me before he spoke to the larger group…

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-Q: You mentioned after the last game that you wanted to redeem your playoff performance last year. Is that’s what’s motivating you now?

-CRABTREE: You just said it. (Nods his head vigorously.)

-Q: Why don’t you think it worked out for you last year in the playoffs?

-CRABTREE: I don’t know. For whatever reason, it didn’t work for me.

-Q: Why is it going well for you lately this year?

-CRABTREE: Just playing ball, man. I’m not worrying about anything. I’m just going out and playing.

-Q: Is it partly the chemistry with Kaepernick?

-CRABTREE: Yeah. I mean, you see it.

* Then Crabtree walked away, and was convinced to talk to the gaggle around his locker (which of course included me) a few minutes later, which he did amiably…

-Q: Why do you think your production has gone up in the last four or five weeks?

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-CRABTREE: I don’t really check the stat ratio on how many attempts (compared to what) I got last year. I haven’t really checked it. Probably went up a little bit, you know?

Really just trying to make the most of my opportunities.

-Q: Feel like you’re playing well?

-CRABTREE: Yeah, feel like I’m playing all right. I feel like I can do better.

-Q: Is there something to be said just for the experience you have?

-CRABTREE: I’ve been saying that since Day 1. Just thankful for the opportunities that I have, have had in the past four or five weeks, or the whole season. Feel like we’ve been doing good–the quarterback, the wide receivers, running backs, as a whole offensively.

Just feel like we can get better.

-Q: Do you feel like the receivers have chemistry with Kaepernick now?

-CRABTREE: It’s always… practice is practice, you know? Really experiment in practice, as would any team in the NFL or football, period.

Chemistry really comes on Sunday. It comes during the week, too, but at the same time, if you connect on Sunday it gives you that much more confidence going into the next week or even the next year. I feel like we’ve been doing good so far. Just feel like we need to keep going.

-Q: The other receivers talk about how hard Kaepernick throws. How much of an adjustment is that for you?

-CRABTREE: You’ve just got to pay attention, you know? Guy has a strong arm, but if you’re thinking about it I’m sure you’re going to drop it.

He’s got a lot of heat behind his ball. It’s football, you know? Pitch and catch.

-Q: A year ago you struggled in the Giants playoff game and this year you’re going so well. What’s the difference?

-CRABTREE: You said struggle?

-Q: In the playoff game, the whole offense struggled through the air.

-CRABTREE: Just feel like… that was last year. I don’t really know what happened.

We were just talking about opportunity and I said something about that after the game last year and I meant it, you know? Because I’m a football player, this is what I do for a living, and I love it.

I feel like this year is different. It’s a different year. I feel all we have to do is go out there and do our job, focus on our job, focus on my job. As a whole, we should be all right.

-Q: Do you feel like this quarterback really looks for you?

-CRABTREE: This quarterback?

-Q: Yep, Kaepernick.

-CRABTREE: I wouldn’t put it like that. I would just say we’re making a lot of plays on Sunday.

That’s just been the regular season. We’ve been here before. Last year we came up a little short. I feel like I’ve got a little chip on my shoulder right now and I can’t wait to go back out there for the playoffs. Big stage, big game for us as an offense and defense and special teams… as a team, you know?

I feel like we’re just ready to perform.

-Q: With last year’s playoff experience, how much more comfortable are you heading into the playoffs?

-CRABTREE: I wouldn’t say comfortable. I would say anxious and ready to go out there and really play. Because I really don’t like talking about it too much. I really like playing.

I just can’t wait ’til Saturday and we go out there with my team and the great defense that we have and all those guys we have on offense. I can’t wait ’til we go out there and show what we’ve been practicing.

-Q: Do you think Green Bay’s doing anything differently on defense than they did in Week 1?

-CRABTREE: Any team… I think every team in the NFL is good on defense. Especially when you get in the playoffs, the people are playing that much better. You’re not seeing the same team you see in the regular season.

I feel like the intensity has gone up a notch. I feel like everybody’s bringing the “A” game. I don’t really focus on the defense. I focus on us doing our job and really executing our plays, pumping our intensity up and really getting this chemistry going, whether it’s tight ends, running backs, whoever.

We just need to win in all phases.

-Q: How much did losing in the playoffs last year drive you and your teammates in the off-season to get to this point again?

-CRABTREE: It’s driven us a lot. I feel like we need to win. I want to go to the Super Bowl, you know? I want to do all those things. But we’ve got to take it one game at a time.

-Q: Did Randy Moss talk to you guys about his playoff experience and what did you get from it if he did?

-CRABTREE: Randy talks to us all the time. I’m in the room with Randy all day, every day. So it’s a lot of things we talk about. As a team, we’ve just got to go out there and do our job.

No one on this team answers questions. Harbaugh has trained them all in the art of saying nothing. As a reader, I can only describe it as a weird combination of frustrating and entertaining at the same time. Must drive the writers nuts though.